The 15th Rifle Division (russian: 15-я стрелковая дивизия) was a

military formation Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation ...

of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

formed by renaming the

's Inza Revolutionary Division on 30 April 1919. The division was active during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The 15th Rifle Division was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

, two

Orders of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet Union, Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War b ...

, the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 1942 ...

, and the

Red Banner of Labour of the Ukrainian SSR Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

, ultimately receiving the

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

designation 15th

Sivash The Syvash or Sivash (Russian and Ukrainian: ; , Cyrillic: Сываш, "dirt"), also known as the or (, ''Gniloye More''; , ''Hnyle More''; , Cyrillic: Чюрюк Денъиз), is a large area of shallow lagoons on the west coast of the Sea ...

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

Order of Lenin, Twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of the Red Banner of Labour Division (15-я стрелковая Сивашско-Штеттинская, ордена Ленина, дважды Краснознамённая, орденов Суворова, Трудового Красного Знамени дивизия).

Establishment and World War II

The 15th Rifle Division was formed by renaming the

's Inza Revolutionary Division on 30 April 1919. In November 1920, the division crossed the

into

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

and fought against the

White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...

commanded by

Pyotr Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (russian: Пётр Никола́евич барон Вра́нгель, translit=Pëtr Nikoláevič Vrángel', p=ˈvranɡʲɪlʲ, german: Freiherr Peter Nikolaus von Wrangel; April 25, 1928), also known by his ni ...

. Units from the disbanded

31st Turkestan Rifle Division 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. In mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...

joined the division on 2 December 1920. On 29 February 1928, in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Red Army, the division was awarded the

Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

. On 10 January 1936, in honor of the fifteenth anniversary of the Sivash battles, the division was awarded the

. It was renamed as the 15th Motorized Division in September 1939 and took part in the Red Army's march into Romanian-ceded Bessarabia in 1940. On 22 June 1941, the division was stationed in Bender and

Tiraspol Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the th ...

as part of the 2nd Mechanized Corps, 9th Army,

Odessa Military District The Odesa Military District (russian: Одесский военный округ, ОВО; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 1998 most of its territory was transformed into the Southern Operat ...

. Its first battle after the start of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

occurred in the Skulyan raion (part of Kalarash) on 24 June 1941, after which it pulled back and departed for the

Dniester The Dniester, ; rus, Дне́стр, links=1, Dnéstr, ˈdⁿʲestr; ro, Nistru; grc, Τύρᾱς, Tyrās, ; la, Tyrās, la, Danaster, label=none, ) ( ,) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and th ...

. In July 1941, the 15th Motorized Rifle Division was caught in the encirclement around

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

, and was largely destroyed. Rkkaww2 states that 'The entire headquarters of the 15th Motorised Division was captured. However, later, the divisional commander, Colonel Laskin, managed to escape from captivity.' Its name was reverted to 15th Rifle Division, with the 676th Mountain Rifle Regiment of the 192nd Mountain Rifle Division added as its third regiment. The division's commander during the Uman encirclement, Major-General Nikolay Nikanorovich Belov was killed on 9 August 1941.Maslov, Aleksander, and David Glantz (Trans., Ed.) (1998).
Fallen Soviet Generals: Soviet General Officers Killed in Battle, 1941-1945.
' pp. 24-25. . Some of its members escaped from the encirclement by the end of September 1941. It remained on the Southern Front and took part in defending the

Donbass The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

in the area near Artemovsk until being transferred to the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first fo ...

's 13th Army in May 1942. The 15th Rifle Division took part in the defensive battle at Voronezh in the summer of 1942 and in the subsequent battle to liberate the city in 1943. On the night of 5 July 1943, reconnaissance units of the division captured a prisoner who showed that the German troops would launch an attack on

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

during the same day, and the division fought in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

. Its subsequent operations included the

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative ...

Pripyat Pripyat ( ; russian: При́пять), also known as Prypiat ( uk, При́пʼять, , ), is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. Named after the nearby river, Pripyat, it was founded on 4 February 19 ...

and Gomel-Rechitsa Offensives in 1943, the

Kalinkovichi , nickname = , image_skyline = Kalinkavichy2.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = City street , image_flag = Flag_of_Kalinkavičy.svg , image_shield = Coat_of_Arms_of_Kalinkavičy,_Belarus.svg , image_m ...

Mozyr russian: Мозырь , nickname = , image_skyline = Mazyr Montage (2017).jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_flag = , image_shield = Coat of Arms of Mazyr, Belarus.svg , image_map = , map_caption ...

Operation,

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп� ...

and the liberation of

Baranovichi Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of 2019) of 179,000. It is not ...

in 1944, the

Mława Mława (; yi, מלאווע ''Mlave'') is a town in north-east Poland with 30,403 inhabitants in 2020. It is the capital of Mława County. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. During the invasion of Poland in 1939, the battle of Mława wa ...

- Elbing Operation, the East Pomeranian Offensive, and the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

in 1945.

Composition

As the 15th Rifle Division (in June 1941): * 47th Motor Rifle Regiment * 321st Rifle Regiment * 14th Tank Regiment * 203rd Artillery Regiment * 166th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion * 114th Separate Anti-Aircraft Battalion * 77th Reconnaissance Battalion * 75th Light Engineering Battalion * 53rd Separate Signals Battalion * 96th Medical Battalion * 156th Auto-Transport Battalion * 35th Repairing Battalion * 38th Traffic Control Company * 61st Field Bakery * 77th Field Post Station * 357th Field Bank Department As the 15th Rifle Division (renamed on 6 August 1941): * 47th Rifle Regiment * 321st Rifle Regiment * 676th Rifle Regiment * 203rd Howitzer Regiment (until 04.11.1941) * 203rd Artillery Regiment (from 21.04.1942) * 81st Howitzer Regiment (from 16.11.1941 to 15.01.1942) * 166th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion * 425th Anti-Aircraft Battery (114th Separate Anti-Aircraft Battalion) (until 29.04.1943) * 77th Reconnaissance Company * 5th Ski Battalion (from 05.11.1943 to 30.04.1944) * 75th Sapper Battalion * 527th Separate Signals Battalion (182nd Separate Signals Company) * 96th Medical Battalion * 79th Separate Chemical Defense Company * 43rd Auto-Transport Company * 324th Field Bakery (61st Field Mobile Baking Factory) * 170th Divisional Veterinary Hospital * 77th Field Post Station * 357th Field Bank Department

Commanders

Before and during World War II: * Yan Latsis (30 June 1918 – 14 November 1919) *

Alexander Sirotkin Alexander Sirotkin (August 6, 1890 – January 17, 1965) was a Soviet lieutenant general and division commander. He fought for the Imperial Russian Army in World War I. He received the Cross of St. George, the Order of St. Vladimir, the Order of S ...

(14–29 November 1919) * Mikhail Sangursky (29 November 1919 – 18 February 1920) *

Alexander Sedyakin Alexander Ignatyevich Sedyakin (26 November 1893 – 29 July 1938) was a Soviet division commander and Komandarm 2nd rank. He was born in St. Petersburg, which was then the capital of the Russian Empire. He fought in the Imperial Russian Army in Wo ...

(18 February – 19 June 1920) *

Eduard Lepin Eduard Davydovich Lepin (russian: Эдуард Давыдович Лепин, lv, Eduards Liepiņš; 1889 – 22 August 1938) was a Soviet division commander and Komkor of Latvian people, Latvian ethnicity. He fought in the Russian Civil War agai ...

(19 June – 22 July 1920) * Pyotr Solodukhin (22 July – 3 August 1920; KIA) * Johannes Raudmets (3 August 1920 – 18 October 1921) *

Marcian Germanovich Marcian Yakovlevich Germanovich (Russian: Маркиан Яковлевич Германович; October 29, 1895 – September 20, 1937) was a Soviet division commander and Komkor (corps commander). He fought in the Imperial Russian Army in Wor ...

(1922–1924) * Vladimir Tarasenko (1935) * Kombrig Dmitry Ivanovich Gudkov (11 January 1936 – 8 June 1937) * Kombrig

Yakov Ishchenko Yakov (alternative spellings: Jakov or Iakov, cyrl, Яков) is a Russian or Hebrew variant of the given names Jacob (name), Jacob and James (name), James. People also give the nickname Yasha ( cyrl, Яша) or Yashka ( cyrl, Яшка) used for Ya ...

(8 June 1937 – 27 February 1938) * Kombrig

Semyon Krivoshein Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein (russian: Семён Моисе́евич Кривоше́ин; November 28, 1899 in Voronezh, Russian Empire – September 16, 1978 in Moscow, Soviet Union) was a Soviet tank commander, who played a vital part in th ...

(9 May – 4 June 1940) * Kombrig Mikhail Solomatin (4 June 1940 – 11 March 1941) * Major-General Nikolay Nikanorovich Belov: 11.03.1941 – 09.08.1941, killed in action * Colonel Afanasy Nikitovich Slyshkin (major-general from 1.10.1942): 04.09.1941 – 25.06.1942 * Colonel Vladimir Nikolayevich Janjgava: 26.06.1943 – 14.07.1943 * Colonel Vasily Ivanovich Bulgakov: 15.07.1943 – 07.08.1943 * Colonel Kuzma Yedvokimovich Grebennik (major-general from 03.06.1944): 08.08.1943 – 28.03.1945 * Colonel Andrey Petrovich Varyukhin: 29.03.1945 – 09.05.1945

Postwar

After the Second World War the division briefly became the 26th Mechanised Division in 1945, then in 1957 the 100th Motor Rifle Division. In 1965 it regained its Second World War number and became the 15th Motor Rifle Division. Through much of the postwar period it was part of

7th Guards Army The 7th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II and of the Soviet Army during the Cold War. History The 7th Guards Army was formed from the 64th Army on April 16, 1943. 64th Army had originally been formed from 1s ...

in the

Transcaucasus Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...

. During this period it was stationed at

Kirovakan Vanadzor ( hy, Վանաձոր) is an urban municipal community and the third-largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 cen ...

. The division was maintained at 20% strength during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. In June 1992, it was disbanded and much of its equipment was taken over by Armenia. The divisional banner was given to the 5209th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base (BHVT), formed from the disbanded

91st Motor Rifle Division The 91st Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Army, formed twice. The division was first formed from a rifle division in 1957 and disbanded two years later. The division was reformed in 1970 without inheriting the lineage of the first ...

Nizhneudinsk Nizhneudinsk ( rus, Нижнеу́динск, p=nʲɪʐnʲɪˈudʲɪnsk; bua, Доодо-Үдэ, ''Doodo-Üde'') is a town and the administrative center of Nizhneudinsky District of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Uda River (Yenisei's ba ...

. The 5209th BHVT was renamed the 6063rd BHVT. In June 2009, the 6063rd BHVT became the 187th Weapons and Equipment Storage Repair Base (BHiRVT). The 15th Motor Rifle Division included the following units in 1988: *343rd Motorized Rifle Regiment (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *348th Motorized Rifle Regiment (Dilizhan, Armenian SSR) *353rd Motorized Rifle Regiment (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *132nd Guards Tank Regiment (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *1068th Artillery Regiment (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *1029th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment(Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *692nd Separate Missile Battalion (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *767th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion(Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *324th Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion(Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *527th Separate Communications Battalion (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *621st Separate Chemical Defense Battalion (Dilizhan, Armenian SSR) *169th independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *?th Separate Medical Battalion (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR) *1542nd Separate Material Supply Battalion (Kirovakan, Armenian SSR)

Notes

References

* *Feskov, V.I.; K.A. Kalashnikov, V.I. Golikov (2004). The Soviet Army in the Years of the 'Cold War' (1945–1991). Tomsk: Tomsk University Press. . {{Soviet Union divisions 1957–1989

015 Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

Military units and formations established in 1919 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner